Bashar al-Assad’s regime used chemical weapons in the Syrian city of Duma (Eastern Ghouta) in order to gain control over the territory around Damascus, Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) analyst Kirill Mikhailov said in a comment to InfoResist news outlet.

According to the expert, the world media has paid attention to the new chemical attack in Syria only because it killed so many people. However, he believes that Syria has constantly been using chemical weapons.

Military intervention under fictitious pretexts in Syria, where Russian soldiers are stationed, is unacceptable. A statement to this effect was made by the Russian Foreign Ministry and published on the department’s website.

The Foreign Ministry pointed out that the Russians are in Syria at the request of the country’s legitimate government. Outside interference, the department said, is absolutely inadmissible, and “may lead to the most severe consequences”.

Speaking at the Washington-based US Institute of Peace, General Joseph Votel, head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), said that American armed forces presence in Syria will be needed to stabilize the situation in regions liberated from terrorists, aid the return of civilians to their homes, and support the country’s long-term reconstruction. Votel’s area of operational responsibility includes the Middle East, East Africa and Central Asia.

Russian Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces General Valery Gerasimov and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Armed Forces General Joseph Dunford discussed Syria in a telephone conversation and agreed to continue contact, reported the Russian Defense Ministry.

“On March 21, a telephone conversation took place between the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, the First Deputy Defense Minister of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Valery …

Two-thirds of Russians follow the course of the Russian military operation in Syria, which started in the autumn of 2015, and has been declared finished three times since, according to data provided by the Public Opinion fund (POF) based on a survey conducted in February.

But despite the interest, people are not well informed about the goals pursued by Russia within the military campaign. According to Reuters, hundreds of Russian have been killed during the operation.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that according to provisional information, five Russians were killed in the US-led coalition’s airstrike against Syrian government forces. The Russians in question were not soldiers.

“According to provisional information, as a result of the armed encounter which took place, the reasons for which are currently being determined, five men who were presumably Russian citizens may have died. There are also wounded, but this all needs to be …

Interfax news agency reported that two missiles approaching the Russian-operated Syrian airbase at Khmeimim were shot down by the Pantsir-S1 system. A third missile failed to reach the airbase at all.

The AMN publication claims that two missiles were shot down in the province of Idlib, bordering Latakia. It says that Russian helicopters are patrolling the area from which rockets were allegedly fired.

The Russian military operation in Syria began on September 30, 2015. The Russian Air Force …

Viktor Bondarev, head of the Federation Council committee on defense and security, said that Russia will help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad oppose attempts to destabilize the country. Bondarev made a statement to this effect when commenting on the topic of US instructors training militants in Syria, RIA Novosti reports.

“I am convinced that Bashar al-Assad has enough forces to oppose this, not to let anyone at all plunge the country back into chaos. For its part, Russia will help,” Bondarev …

The European Union does not believe that the military conflict in Syria is over, as stated by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, reports Deutsche Welle.

"We know very well that the fighting in Syria continues, and that civilians suffer from attacks," she said.

According to Mogherini, there is no reason to agree with the notion that the war in Syria has come to an end and that the situation may soon normalize.